Wisconsin veteran: Getting state ID took 2 years

MILWAUKEE (AP) - A Wisconsin veteran testifying in a federal trial over Wisconsin's voter-ID law says it took him almost two years of effort to acquire a state ID.

Fifty-four-year-old Carl Ellis of Milwaukee says his veteran's ID wasn't considered sufficient to vote. He didn't have a driver's license because of issues with mental health, alcoholism and homelessness so he had to figure out how to get a certified birth certificate from Illinois.

He says he finally got his ID three months ago, after trying for nearly two years.

Ellis was testifying Wednesday on behalf of several groups who say Wisconsin's voter-ID law disproportionately hurts minorities and the poor. The Republican-backed law has been put on hold pending legal challenges.

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